Police investigating deadly shooting in Chester

CHESTER — A 22-year-old city man was being chased by multiple individuals before he was fatally shot Friday night, authorities said.

The victim collapsed in the street at 21st Street and Melrose Avenue, where he was pronounced dead by paramedics, according to city Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr. Though the victim was known to authorities, his identity was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

“I was told some of his family members were at the scene, but I don’t know that everyone has been contacted,” Bail said.

Multiple shell casings and other evidence were recovered along a trail between where the victim collapsed and the area of the 900 block of East 22nd Street, where shots reportedly rang out, at around 7:30 p.m.

It appears the victim had been at his mother’s home just prior to the shooting.

Without having seen the items, Bail could not address if the recovered evidence appeared to have been fired from one or more weapons. He also could not say if the victim was armed.

“This is an ongoing investigation by city and county detectives,” Bail said.

The shooting death appears to raise the city’s homicide toll to 19. Official cause and manner of death is pending a ruling by the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Residents in the surrounding neighborhoods heard as many as 10 shots.

One woman was especially upset because her son had been in the area of where the shooting occurred earlier in the evening.

“We hear gunfire at least once a week, but never this close,” she said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Robert Whitaker of the Chester Police Department at 610-447-8420, Detective David Tyler of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division at 610-891-4708 or 911.